Leaked transcript reveals Donald Trump’s envoy coaching Kremlin on Ukraine peace deal strategy

A leaked transcript has revealed that White House special envoy Steve Witkoff coached senior Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov on how Russian President Vladimir Putin should sweet-talk his counterpart, Donald Trump, regarding a proposed peace deal for Ukraine.

The October 14 call, which reportedly lasted five minutes, appears to show Mr Witkoff advising the Russian official on how Mr Putin should flatter Mr Trump and frame him as a “man of peace”.

The conversation came just days after Mr Trump brokered a ceasefire in Gaza, which Mr Witkoff suggested could serve as a diplomatic springboard for Ukraine’s negotiations.

“I would make the call and just reiterate that you congratulate the President on this achievement, that you supported it, you supported it, that you respect that he is a man of peace, and you’re just, you’re really glad to have seen it happen. So I would say that. I think from that it’s going to be a really good call,” Mr Witkoff told Mr Ushakov, according to the transcript published by Bloomberg.

Mr Witkoff’s tip came after the Kremlin aide asked if it would be useful if Mr Putin and Mr Trump spoke on the phone to discuss ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

The US special envoy went further, proposing a “20-point peace plan” for Ukraine, modelled on the Trump Administration’s Israel-Gaza ceasefire framework.

“I told the President that you, that the Russian Federation has always wanted a peace deal. That’s my belief. I told the President I believe that. And I believe the question is, the issue is, is that we have two nations that are having a hard time coming to a compromise and when we do, we’re going to have a peace deal,” he reportedly told Mr Ushakov.

“I’m even thinking that maybe we set out like a 20-point peace proposal, just like we did in Gaza. We put a 20-point Trump plan together that was 20 points for peace and I’m thinking maybe we do the same thing with you.”

Mr Ushakov agreed that Mr Putin would call Mr Trump a “real peace man”.

At another point during their phone conversation, Mr Witkoff hinted territorial concessions were necessary to secure a deal.

“I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere. But I’m saying instead of talking like that, let’s talk more hopefully because I think we’re going to get a deal here,” he said.

“And I think Yuri, the President will give me a lot of space and discretion to get the deal.”

Mr Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday (local time) that he had not heard about the leaked transcript.

“I haven’t heard it, but I heard it was standard negotiation. And I would imagine he’s saying the same thing to Ukraine, because each party has to give and take,” he said.

One month on from the phone call, the Trump Administration has been pushing a controversial 28-point peace plan, which initially drew criticism for favouring Moscow.

The draft reportedly required Ukraine to cede territory and limit its military to 600,000 troops, while offering security guarantees and reconstruction aid funded partly by frozen Russian assets.

After backlash from Kyiv and European allies, negotiators have stripped the plan down to 19 points.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky could visit the US in the next few days to finalise a deal with Mr Trump, Kyiv’s national security chief Rustem Umerov said on Tuesday (local time), though there was no immediate confirmation of such a trip from the US side.

Meanwhile, Mr Witkoff is scheduled to meet Mr Putin in Moscow to iron out remaining details of the plan. Mr Trump has hinted that “only a few points of disagreement” remain, but Russia has yet to formally endorse the revised plan.